Pizza planet? No, it’s Jupiter. But we’ve just learned some incredible new science from the supreme planet.
New findings released on Oct. 28 from our
#JunoMission orbiting Jupiter are giving us a fuller picture of the planet’s turbulent atmosphere. Our Juno spacecraft peers beneath Jupiter’s cloud tops to scope out its many jet streams and storms, including the iconic Great Red Spot and once again it has uncovered new science. Here’s a taste of what we now know:
▪️Some storms extend 60 miles (100 kilometers) deep
▪️The Great Red Spot is over 200 miles (350 kilometers) deep
▪️Jupiter’s polar cyclones barely change location over time
▪️Its distinctive bands might form from ammonia and water traveling up and down
Juno launched in 2011 and reached Jupiter about five years later. Now in a wide orbit around the planet, the spacecraft conducts regular close passes, attempting to uncover what lingers beneath the gargantuan orb’s clouds. Citizen scientists use the probe’s JunoCam to proces...